


Infinities Are Untouched For A Reason

by spacetimerift



Category: The Lobby
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Matrix Fusion, Nine has huge Morpheus vibes and I think he deserves it, Other, because I was rewatching the matrix and thought fuck it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25501591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacetimerift/pseuds/spacetimerift
Relationships: Gerard & Nine (The Lobby)
Kudos: 1





	1. Follow Instructions

“Neo,” whispered the circuits, “Neeeeeoooooo…” Still he slept, head on his folded arms as Green Day blasted into his ears. His trusty computer keyboard started to clack softly, and the sound just began to tickle at his awareness.  
_Wake up, Neo…_  
He blinked a few times, lifting his head up to look at the blank screen. Well, more accurately, formerly blank screen, since three words in plain green text lay against the dark background.  
_The matrix has you…_  
“What the hell?” he muttered, quickly pressing key combinations that might clear out whatever was happening with his computer. Instead of disappearing entirely, the text was replaced by another line.  
_Follow the white rabbit._  
Growing increasingly concerned, Gerard tapped in more commands, his breath near frantic in pace. Still the presence continued, making one final phrase appear across his monitor.  
_Knock, knock, Neo._  
At that, someone rapped loudly on his apartment door, once, then twice. For a moment, as Gerard jumped out of his chair, he almost thought he was going to suffocate in his own room, choking on air he could no longer breathe.  
“Who-“ he gasped, barely audible over the electric whir that inhabited his spaces, “Who’s there?”


	2. Good Night, Good Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard meets Runo and receives an important message

Having followed his customers to the club they’d planned on visiting, Gerard winced as Rob Zombie’s voice grated along his ears. Leaning against the first wall he found, he tried to look more like he was waiting for an arranged meeting than someone with no more directions than to follow some woman’s rabbit tattoo. A few minutes later, just when he was beginning to consider turning in for the night so he wouldn’t be late to work, a blonde woman just barely taller than him walked over.  
“Hello, Neo,” she said, letting a little smile glide across her face. Nearly choking on the random drink he’d bought just to fit in, he turned to her with wide frantic eyes. “How do you know that name?” he hissed, glancing around to make sure no one near them might have heard. She laughed softly, clearly amused by how easily he became disconcerted and flustered. “My name is Runo,” she stated easily, smirking as his mouth hung open for a few seconds. “You- You’re Runo?!?” he exclaimed, “ _The_ Runo?!?!?”  
Letting another smile flit over her lips, she nodded. “The very same.” The expression on her face became suddenly melancholy as she continued, saying “I was just like you once. You’re looking for him.” Speechless, Gerard nodded. “But I didn’t find him,” she said, grimacing slightly, “he found me.” At that, he gasped. “Morpheus…found you?”  
Again, she smile at him, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint the feelings behind it. “You have a question, and he has the answers.” Glancing around, she leaned over so her mouth was beside his ear. “I can’t tell you much more,” she whispered urgently, “but you are in great danger.” Before Gerard could recover from his shock and ask her how or why, she was gone, melting into the crowd like she’d never been there at all.  
~~~  
Gasping, Gerard sat up in bed, sweaty hands tangled in the sheets. Pushing his hair partly out of his eyes, he turned to look at his alarm clock and immediately starting letting out a hurried string of made-up expletives as he ran around the apartment trying to get dressed as quickly as possible since he was already going to be 15 minutes late for work. Terrific. First he was in some sort of physical danger and now he was late _again_. No way in hell was this going to be his day.  
“Shit!” he yelped, hopping around with one leg stuck in his pants and falling onto his bed. Immensely frustrated with the first 5 minutes of his day, he rolled onto his back and flipped off the ceiling. It didn’t do anything, but he felt a little better. “Fucking _hell_ ,” he muttered, continuing to fight against the confines of professional clothing, “something good had better come out of this.”


	3. Two Ways Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> finally got Nine in here fuck yeah

After a commute where each second felt like an hour, Gerard arrived at his office and immediately got busted for trying to sneak in as though he’d been there all along. “You have a problem with authority, Mr. Anderson,” drones his boss, exaggeratedly tapping his desk. Enthralled by the motion, Gerard could feel his attention starting to fade away from the man’s actual speech. A combination of the other man’s complete inattention to his employee and Gerard’s sixth sense for ending lectures protected his distraction from further notice.  
A few minutes later, he resurfaced to a bored-sounding statement of “you can find yourself another job. Do I make myself clear?” Hurriedly, Gerard nodded, following up before any more detailed inquiries could be directed towards him by saying “Loud and clear, Mr. Rhineheart.” Apparently that was a satisfactory answer, as he was dismissed to begin the work day and pretend nothing had happened at all and everything was perfectly fine.  
A few moments later, the daydream he’d begun carefully putting together was shattered by a package delivery, which he signed for without any hesitation but a nearly-tangible level of confusion. When he ripped open the envelope, a cellular phone fell out and immediately started ringing. Profoundly taken aback, Gerard didn’t react for a couple seconds before reaching to press the answer button.  
“Hello?” he asked cautiously, glancing around nervously and keeping his voice low. “Hello, Neo,” replied the caller, “I think you’ve been looking for me.” Gerard’s mouth abruptly went dry and he worked to swallow before answering. “Mor…” he said softly, “Morpheus?” A soft chuckle came down the line, nearly soothing his uncertainty. “The very same,” the man confirmed, “but now is not the time to be discussing semantics.”  
Always an intellectual, Gerard paused for a second before saying “What?” He wasn’t sure if the sigh was real or a product of his overactive imagination, but Morpheus continued nonetheless. “They’ve found you,” he said with a hint of urgency in his tone. “Wait what?!” exclaimed Gerard, “ _Who_ are you talking about??” Without skipping a beat, Morpheus said “Look at the elevator.”  
Popping his head up over the side of his cubicle, Gerard peeked in the direction of the elevators, which two men in pristine suits were exiting as someone pointed in his direction. Dropping back down, he started to panic. “Shit,” he whispered, “who are those guys?” “I don’t have time to tell you right now,” crackled the phone, “but I need you to follow my instructions. The cubicle across from you is empty. Go into it…” He paused for a few moments, before saying “Now!” Caught slightly off-guard, Gerard performed a highly unathletic roll across the small corridor and ducked around under the desk just seconds before the strange men turned to look at his own.  
“Go to the office at the corner now, and stay low,” Morpheus warned. Breathing hard, Gerard tucked the phone into a jacket pocket before crawling into the designated room. Pulling the phone back to his ear, he asked “Now what?” “If you open the window,” Morpheus began, prompting Gerard to walk towards it and test the latch, “you can go across the ledge to some scaffolding which will take you down.” Against his better judgment, Gerard glanced out the window and down, causing the world to sway under him for a second. “Are you _insane?_ ” he whispered frantically, “I’ll **_die._** ” Only silence came across the phone line for a brief period, after which Morpheus definitely sighed. “You have two ways out, Neo. Either you take my way or you walk out of this building with them.”  
Swallowing, Gerard carefully stepped out the window and onto the high ledge. Clinging to the wall, he started to make his way across and dropped the phone in a moment of vertigo. As he watched it plummet to the ground, a wave of fear washed over him, and he jumped back through the window, nearly smashing his face into the shiniest pair of black shoes he’d ever seen. Looking up, all he could see was a vast expanse of suit topped with a pair of sunglasses.


	4. Pure Malice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gerard experiences what might be a nightmare, and the purest, undiluted fear he's ever felt.

Gerard’s memory blanked somewhere between being hauled to his feet and half-thrown into a holding cell bare of anything but a metal table and two chairs. Stripped of his suit jacket, he gingerly sat down in the indicated chair, nearer the back of the room then the door. Breathing fast, he catalogued his options, and realized flight was about as far down the list as he could get. Not only was the table between him and a way out, but the two authorities who’d grabbed him at the office stood there as well, faces as hardset as the walls surrounding him. He swallowed hard as another man joined them, closing the door as they carefully blocked him into the corner. Had he been able to see their eyes, he thought amusement at his clear nervousness would lie there.  
  
The one sitting opposite Gerard flipped through a large file for a few moments, flaunting the fact that he hadn’t escaped their detection in his underground business. “Now, Mr. Anderson,” they said in near-perfect monotone, “we’ve been keeping tabs on you for quite a while, as I’m sure you can tell.” Glancing around the room for anything to focus his gaze on except the icy glare of the dark glasses, Gerard tentatively nodded. “And it seems you’ve been living two lives,” the suited individual continued, “as Gerard Anderson, an employed programmer, and as a hacker by the name of Neo.” For each name, they held up a hand as if weighing their merit. Closing the file, they leveled the void of their glasses with Gerard’s eyes, piercing the level of control the dark-haired man had been able to muster.  
  
Gerard shook slightly under the force of that gaze, unable to stop a fearful expression from sliding onto his face. “I want to be frank, Mr. Anderson,” drawled Suit, as Gerard had dubbed them, taking off their glasses and aiming a pure white stare at him. “We need your help in capturing a man that calls himself… Morpheus.” They said the name as if it left a bitter aftertaste in their mouth and shook their head as if to shake thoughts of him away. “Now,” they continued, sharp white eyes locking on Gerard’s gold ones, “I- rather, _we_ are willing to wipe your criminal record in exchange for your… shall I say, cooperation in bringing this man to justice.”  
  
Gerard nodded along for a few seconds, playing like he would take their deal. “Wow,” he began, chuckling softly and shaking his hair into his eyes, “that really sounds like a good arrangement.” Suit relaxed a little, the corners of their mouth tilting up just slightly. “But,” the dark-haired man went on, “I think I have a better one. I’ll give you the finger and you’ll give me my phone call.” Smiling brightly, he flipped the white-haired individual the bird. At his reaction, they shook their head before putting their dark glasses back on. “I have to say, Mr. Anderson, you disappoint me.” Gerard scoffed at them, leaning back in his chair. “Look, I know my rights. I’m owed a phone call.”  
  
Instead of caving, Suit just looked at him through the veil of the mirrorshades. “But what good is a phone call if you can’t speak?” They asked innocently. Gerard looked at the men standing on either side of him, feeling nothing for a moment, and then it started. A sucking feeling spread across the lower part of his face, new unbroken skin muffling the words he tried to get out. Panicking, he stood up, knocking over the chair in his haste and trying to scream for help. The two men sprang into action, ripping open his shirt and pinning him against the table. _Shit, shit, shit,_ Gerard thought, _this could be hot under so many circumstances, so why these?_  
  
Suit stepped towards him, pulling a small box out of their interior jacket pocket. “You see, Mr. Anderson, you will help us,” they said smoothly, leaning over him and taking a small probe out of the box. “Whether you want to or not.” If Gerard could scream, there would have been no other noise in the room as the mechanical probebot expanded and threw itself into his thrashing body. And he woke up, sweaty and gasping. Gasping. Through his mouth. What the fresh hell had happened?


End file.
